Wellington Management Group LLP Makes New $18.26 Million Investment in Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM)

Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFM - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 165,374 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,259,000. Wellington Management Group LLP owned 0.17% of Sprouts Farmers Market at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 3.6% in the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 2,917 shares of the company's stock worth $322,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC lifted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 5,477 shares of the company's stock valued at $605,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in Sprouts Farmers Market by 26.3% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 605 shares of the company's stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 0.8% in the second quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 18,717 shares of the company's stock worth $1,566,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Sprouts Farmers Market by 4.5% in the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,645 shares of the company's stock worth $402,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the period.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Joseph L. Hurley sold 4,956 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.66, for a total value of $657,462.96. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 11,184 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,483,669.44. This trade represents a 30.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Jack Sinclair sold 5,714 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.41, for a total value of $642,310.74. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 211,004 shares of the company's stock, valued at $23,718,959.64. This represents a 2.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 59,855 shares of company stock valued at $8,323,697 in the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on SFM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Sprouts Farmers Market from $127.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $90.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Sprouts Farmers Market from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Melius Research started coverage on Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a "hold" rating and a $105.00 price target for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Sprouts Farmers Market in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set a "sector perform" rating and a $107.00 price objective on the stock. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $118.40.

Sprouts Farmers Market Stock Performance

SFM traded down $1.72 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $147.79. 798,324 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,330,484. The company's 50-day moving average is $135.11 and its 200 day moving average is $106.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.78 billion, a PE ratio of 42.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.58. Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. has a 52 week low of $46.74 and a 52 week high of $155.64.

Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.14. Sprouts Farmers Market had a net margin of 4.73% and a return on equity of 28.24%. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.88 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.65 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 13.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. will post 3.68 EPS for the current year.

Sprouts Farmers Market Company Profile

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the retailing of fresh, natural, and organic food products under the Sprouts brand in the United States. It offers perishable product categories, including fresh produce, meat and meat alternatives, seafood, deli, bakery, floral, and dairy and dairy alternatives; and non-perishable product categories, such as grocery, vitamins and supplements, bulk items, frozen foods, beer and wine, and natural health and body care.